Fighting A Losing Battle
by DobbyRocksSocks
Summary: In which Molly decides that it's better to pick her battles - and triple check the tags on the Christmas presents before the kids get their hands on them.


**Disclaimer - I own nothing you recognise.**

 _Written for Quidditch League, Round 8._

 _Holyhead Harpies, Beater 1_

 **Mandatory Prompt;** Write about Legend Of Today's Headcanon - One year at Christmas, George and Ginny's jumpers got switched. George didn't want to change back.

 **Optional Prompts** \- Elegant / No Hogwarts Staff is to be mentioned.

Thanks to Amber, Sam and Liza for Beta'ing.

* * *

 **Fighting A Losing Battle**

* * *

It took Molly a moment to realise why the scene in front of her didn't seem quite right. Ginny, her lovely little Ginny, was swamped by a jumper. It hung from her shoulders, covered her hands, and fell over her knees.

It was also blue, when she was certain she'd made her daughter's out of the lovely pink wool she'd found deep in the back room of Pettichaps. She was lucky that she'd gone to school with the owner of the children's clothing shop and so got the boatload of wool she needed every year at a discounted rate.

Moving her gaze from Ginny to her other children, Molly almost choked on the bubble of laughter that threatened to burst out of her. Sitting beside Fred, who was decked in the matching jumper currently swallowing Ginny up, was George.

In a very obviously too small pink jumper.

Molly raised a hand to her mouth to cover the emerging smile. George seemed quite impressed with the jumper, she couldn't deny it. He had goosebumps on his stomach where the jumper didn't quite cover, and the sleeves barely covered his elbows.

Fred was staring at him with a rather sad look on his face.

Bill and Charlie were both grinning openly.

Percy, her always serious son, was watching George admire his pink jumper with a disapproving glance. Ron, bless his heart, was happily making his way through his second slice of toast, completely oblivious to the happenings around him.

"George, dear, I've made a mix up with the Christmas jumpers. See, Ginny is wearing yours. Be a love and help her put her own on, won't you?"

Molly waited for a moment for her son to do as she asked.

She certainly wasn't expecting him to turn a wounded look on her, pausing in his delighted examining of his jumper to pout.

"But… I like this one," he complained, standing up, the jumper riding even further up his torso. "Ginny can keep mine."

"That one is a little small for you though, isn't it, Georgie? You'll get cold," Molly cajoled.

George shook his head emphatically. He pranced - pranced was really all she could label the movements - over to the mirror, rather elegant in his shifts she couldn't help but notice, and preened at his reflection for a few moments.

"George -"

"Mummy, I _like_ this one. Please don't make me take it off! It's so pretty!"

Molly was stunned into silence as she stared at her son, her other children's laughter echoing around her. She glanced around once more, unsurprised to see that Charlie and Bill were leaning into each other, tears falling down their cheeks as the held their ribs.

Ron and Ginny giggled along, though she didn't think they realised what they were actually laughing at.

Even Percy had cracked a smile.

Only Fred still looked sad.

"Freddie? What's the matter?" Molly asked, crossing the room to comfort her son. She crouched down beside him, her hand resting on his shoulder.

"Me and Georgie are s'posed to match," he mumbled. "We always match."

"I know, dear. Mummy messed up the gift tags, and George and Ginny's jumpers got all muddled."

Squeezing his shoulder, Molly turned once more to George, wondering how on earth she could convince him to swap jumpers, when Ginny stood up clumsily, toddling over to tug on her mother's skirt.

"Mummy?"

"Yes dear?"

"Dress!" Ginny squealed, holding her arms out and doing a messy twirl before she stumbled and slipped back onto her bum with a bump.

Molly sighed, smiling down at her youngest.

"George, come on dear, switch jumpers with Ginny and I'll let you have extra pudding," she said.

George looked thoughtful for a moment, before he shook his head. "Look! I can be a ballerina!"

He twirled on the tips of his toes, his arms reaching above his head. Molly rubbed at her temple tiredly. Bribery clearly wasn't going to win her this battle. Pulling her wand out, she aimed it at him, whispering a spell to enlarge the jumper so it at least fit him.

Next, she turned her wand on Fred, murmuring a quick colour change spell to turn his blue jumper pink.

With smiles on her children's faces, she put her wand away.

"Freddie!" George exclaimed happily. "Now we can both be ballerinas! Come on, twirl!"

Molly allowed herself a small chuckle, picking Ginny up and resting her against her hip. Ginny, happy to be held, laid her head on her mother's shoulder. After all the excitement, Molly knew that her little girl would be about ready to take a quick nap before dinner time.

Arthur chose that moment to enter the living room. She was happy he'd kept his promise to not spend too long in the shed this morning, Christmas was a time for family after all.

She was just about to leave the room to put Ginny down for her nap, when Arthur called her name.

"Yes, dear?"

"Do I want to know why Fred and George are twirling around in pink jumpers when I clearly remember you knitting them blue ones?"

"Probably not, dear," she replied, leaning over to kiss his cheek.

He nodded. "Thought so. Need any help in the kitchen?"

"I'm fine," she replied, then paused. "But you can put Ginny down for her nap," she added, shifting the little girl from her hip into her father's arms.

"But… Ginny's jumper -"

"You really don't want to know," Molly told him, a small smile on her face as she moved off to the kitchen. She had lots of cooking to get done, and never enough time.

Feeding her family was like trying to feed a small country, especially at Christmas.

In the privacy of the kitchen, she allowed herself a laugh and shook her head. One thing was for sure; Molly would always triple check the tags when she wrapped up the Christmas jumpers in future.

* * *

Also Written for;

Friends - S6Ep19 - Write a K-Rated fic.


End file.
